![]() We’re all very excited for the breakfast there! There’s avocado toast, pancakes, eggs, breakfast potatoes, and lots of other things. Job number one is to make the match play. Pretty much all of us Europeans are used to playing rounds of stroke play and then going into match play. We do play SECs like this with three rounds and then match play. It’s going to be nice to soak it all in, make sure we enjoy it, but also, there’s a job to do. “I’m just as excited to experience it as anyone else. “I didn’t get a full experience of it last year because I was sick, so I couldn’t play the third round,” Darling said. That’s motivation and good preparation for us.” I think we sort of hit a wall the last time, and we don’t want to have the same feeling at nationals. Not all of the conferences have match play. “I think it’s good for the SECs to have match play. “SECs definitely helped in preparing us for the national championship,” Lussand said. ![]() “It’s such a tough course, so any rounds that we’ve played out there before is good for us.” “It’s definitely an advantage having people who have played out there before,” Rydqvist said. Couple that with the fact that many of the Gamecocks have been to the NCAA Championship at least once and have played this course before. The SEC changed its championship format to have match play in 2017. ![]() Some schools are not totally unprepared for the match-play format, including South Carolina. Having a great round can set the tone for the week.” That’s the round that has been kicking us in the butt sometimes. Once we get there, we have to have great preparation and be ready for the first round. Being in the top eight is good, and then you focus on match play. “With the stroke play, winning is important, but it doesn’t give you the NCAA title. “From my perspective, it’s like two different tournaments,” said Mathilde Claisse, a senior from France. We had some issues with sickness last year.” “Then it will be super-important to stay hydrated and fuel ourselves with good food. ![]() “Coming out pretty hot the first couple of days is important, so we can get ourselves up there,” Rydqvist said. It’s a lot of golf in a short time, so obviously getting off to a good start is just one of the keys in making the cut. They key is going to be staying loose and having fun with it.” This spring, we have made an effort to play more disciplined golf, and this course requires discipline. “We played this golf course in March when we were out in Tempe (for another tournament). “I like our depth, and I like our experience there,” said head coach Kalen Anderson. After that, the top 15 teams will play another round to determine the top eight teams for match play. Teams will compete in three rounds of stroke play, which is how they normally compete. The NCAA Championship runs May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The course is pretty difficult, but I think we’re more prepared this year than we were last year. It is different because we go all the way out west, and it’s hot. ![]() “It’s not really about the format,” said Hannah Darling, a sophomore from Scotland. I really enjoy it and think it’s really fun.” I’ve played a lot of tournaments in Europe, and a few of them have the same format, with a lot of match play. “If you make the match play, anything can happen from there. “I really like the format,” said Louise Rydqvist, a sophomore from Sweden. “It’s a lot of golf, but I think it’s a good format to play for the last tournament. “A lot of us have played a lot of tournaments back home that have stroke play and match play,” said Mia Sandtorv Lussand, a freshman from Norway. While making the finals is a goal and perhaps an expectation for the program, the challenge in winning is not just because the Gamecocks will be competing with 29 other great teams, but because the format is different than how tournaments are played for most of the year as it combines stroke play and match play. 4 South Carolina women’s golf team advanced to the NCAA Championship for the third straight year and for the twelfth time in 16 years under head coach Kalen Anderson. Getting to the NCAA Championship isn’t easy. ![]()
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